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Chapter 3
Taesan’s expression turned fierce.
“Are you glaring at me right now?”
“No.”
Hongsi lowered her gaze slightly.
Taesan’s expression softened.
That didn’t mean the scolding was over, though.
“I told you to completely ignore anything that bastard asks you to do.”
Easy for Taesan to say.
But how was someone like her, who lived in this house by their grace, supposed to ignore Taegyeong’s words?
Still, compared to before, she had gotten better at pretending not to notice and had learned a few tricks, so she didn’t blindly obey everything anymore.
“If it’s something you don’t want to do, then ignore it.”
“You hate going to department stores, though.”
“I don’t hate it anymore.”
The reason Hongsi had agreed to pick up the reserved bag Taegyeong asked for was because she had something she wanted too.
Maybe she’d get to see Taesan, whom she barely saw once every few months.
Swallowing those words, Hongsi made up an excuse.
“I had other business there today.”
“What business could you possibly have?”
As Taesan raised a brow, mischief flickered in his eyes for a moment.
Sensing danger instinctively, Hongsi hesitated and tried to run away, but Taesan was faster.
“This kind of business?”
Without warning, Taesan reached out and squished both of her cheeks.
Startled, Hongsi struggled.
“W-What are you doing?!”
Her face crumpled under Taesan’s teasing.
“Jeez…”
“Jeez? Wow, look at this brat daring to pout at me.”
“Then why are you teasing me— ah! What are you doing?!”
Suddenly, Taesan grabbed her face with one hand and roughly rubbed at her lips.
“Kids shouldn’t wear stuff like this. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
Only after wiping off every trace of the lip gloss did Taesan finally let her go with a satisfied look.
Hongsi felt irritation surge through her.
No, more than irritation, she felt hurt.
She had worn the lip gloss solely because of him.
Because she wanted him to see her as a woman, even just a little.
Compared to all the beautiful women surrounding him, she was nothing.
Still, she had wanted to look pretty for him, so having him wipe it off like that stung.
When Hongsi glared at him with reddened eyes, Taesan finally seemed to realize he had teased her too much and cautiously stepped closer.
“Are you sulking?”
“Am I a child?”
“You look like you’re sulking.”
“I said I’m not!”
Just as she shouted back, someone else’s voice cut in.
“My, our Hongsi’s voice can get that loud?”
“A-Auntie.”
Startled, Hongsi swallowed nervously.
Jung Heeyoung, Taesan’s stepmother, stood there smiling beautifully as always.
The sound of her high heels echoed loudly as she approached, her long skirt swaying.
Though she was in her forties at most, she looked far younger.
She had become widowed after Taesan’s father died in an accident alongside Taesan’s birth mother when Taesan was ten years old.
However, instead of leaving the Kang family, Jung Heeyoung had stayed behind, devotedly caring for the children and Chairman Kang, becoming the unquestioned daughter-in-law of the Taejung Group family.
Taesan looked at her expressionlessly.
“Taesan, you’re always glued to Hongsi like this. At this rate, you should just take her with you and live together.”
“Aren’t I already doing that?”
Despite Taesan’s indifferent reply, Jung Heeyoung merely smiled.
“Your grandfather’s been waiting impatiently.”
At her words, Taesan gave a small nod and headed inside with Hongsi.
The kitchen was busier than usual.
The hanok mansion, grand enough to resemble an old nobleman’s estate, had an entirely traditional kitchen as well.
Of course, the detached building where Jung Heeyoung stayed had been completely remodeled with a modern kitchen, but the main house where Chairman Kang lived remained untouched due to his stubborn insistence.
Hongsi moved around the palace-like hanok, helping the aunties.
But her attention wasn’t on the sizzling meat pancakes cooking before her.
It was fixed on the main house instead.
‘What are they talking about for so long?’
Taesan, who normally never spent more than thirty minutes talking with Chairman Kang, had been inside unusually long today.
Just then, one of the aunties spoke while flipping pancakes.
“He got called in again.”
The others gathered around eagerly joined in.
“So who is it this time?”
“Some noble family’s daughter, apparently?”
“Noble family? In this day and age?”
“They’ve supposedly been wealthy since the Joseon era or whatever. The granddaughter of some prestigious Andong clan family? A history professor at Hanguk University, I think. They say she’s incredibly beautiful.”
The careless conversation made Hongsi’s chest ache sharply.
Could it be… the reason Taesan came home after three months was for a blind date?
“Oh my. This time they really found a proper match. Though I bet the young master will reject her again.”
“Apparently not this time.”
Hongsi forced herself to ignore it.
It was fine.
Like always, he’d probably scoff, say it’d be better to close another project than waste time on a blind date, and leave.
Hongsi quietly stood up.
But before she could even leave the kitchen, the words that followed stopped her cold.
“They’re saying they’re absolutely making him marry this year.”
“Apparently they’re forcing him to marry before he turns thirty.”
“Why thirty?”
Hongsi quietly sat back down and perked up her ears.
“How should I know? If you’re so curious, go ask Chairman Kang yourself.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
The aunties burst into laughter.
But Hongsi couldn’t laugh.
‘He might really get married this time…?’
Taesan had been set up on countless blind dates before.
Naturally, all arranged by Chairman Kang.
But not once had Taesan accepted any of them.
Yet if he accepted this one…?
Her chest sank heavily.
Just then, Auntie Jayoung smacked Hongsi hard on the back.
“The pancakes are burning!”
Startled, Hongsi hurriedly flipped them over.
Clicking her tongue, Jayoung still looked worried seeing Hongsi’s pale face.
“If you’re tired, go rest. We can finish up here.”
“I’m okay.”
“What if the young master throws a fit because we made you work in the kitchen?”
“You know how much Young Master Taesan adores our Hongsi. At this rate, maybe he’ll take her with him even after he gets married.”
Normally, hearing that Taesan cherished her so much made Hongsi happy.
But not this time.
Instead of cherishing her, she wished he would love her as a woman.
Even knowing it was ridiculous for someone like her to dream of ending up with Taesan, greed still stirred inside her.
“Come to think of it, doesn’t Hongsi go to Hanguk University?”
“Really? Then maybe she knows the woman!”
As if everyone at Hanguk University knew each other.
Pouting inwardly, Hongsi silently flipped another pancake.
“Your life’s set now, Hongsi! Your company’s already decided too!”
The aunties’ topic shifted from Taesan to Hongsi.
“Feels like just yesterday you almost drowned in that lake. You need to devote your whole life to this family to repay their kindness. They saved a homeless girl like you, fed you, educated you. They even paid for your crazy mother’s nursing home, didn’t they?”
Hongsi’s hands slowed.
Just as they said, her mother had stayed in a nursing hospital affiliated with Taejung before passing away a few years ago.
Until then, Hongsi had received considerable financial help from Taesan.
Once she got older, she secretly tried taking part-time jobs to repay him, but Taesan somehow found out, tracked her down, and scolded her so fiercely she never dared do it again.
He had told her that if she really wanted to repay him, she should get into a respectable company and pay him back with money she earned later. For now, she should focus on studying.
“And that’s not all. She’s entering Taejung Group soon, right? People struggle desperately to get in there, but she got accepted just like that. The vice chairman obviously pulled some strings.”
“She should be bowing in gratitude every day.”
They always said the same things.
That she should bury her bones in this family.
That she shouldn’t become an ungrateful beast.
That repaying kindness was what made someone human.
For fifteen years living in this house, she had heard it endlessly.
What would happen if she told them she liked Taesan?
They’d probably call her insane, accuse her of repaying kindness with betrayal.
The aunties would immediately run to tell the family.
Then she’d not only be thrown out of the house, but she’d never see Taesan again.
As she smiled bitterly to herself, Jongho suddenly wandered into the kitchen.
Jongho was Auntie Jayoung’s son and Hongsi’s close male friend.
“Mom, Hongsi’s seriously a genius. The professors practically begged her to study abroad and offered funding, but she turned them all down. Even huge global companies better than Taejung contacted her several times. She rejected all of them just to interview at Taejung Group. And Auntie! Do you think the vice chairman would hire just anyone? Hongsi secretly took the interview and passed on her own!”
“Can’t you shut up?”
“I’m serious, Mom! Even Young Master Taesan didn’t know, and when he heard she got accepted, he scolded her like crazy!”
When Jongho barged in defending Hongsi, Jayoung’s glare sharpened.
She leapt up and smacked her son on the back.
“Good grief! Anyone would think you were Hongsi’s father! So proud of yourself, huh? Meanwhile your own son apparently has no hope of getting into college this year either!”
Cursing at him, Jayoung started whacking Jongho with the spatula.
“Ah! Stop hitting me!”
Jongho darted around trying to avoid her, but it was useless.
“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”
After finishing the pancakes, Hongsi quietly slipped out of the kitchen.
The aunties’ chatter continued behind her.
She removed the apron soaked with the smell of oil.
Then she slowly made her way toward the main house.
Pretending to admire the flowers, pretending to pick dust off the yard, she crept all the way to the wooden porch.
“Grandfather, please stop wearing hanbok that doesn’t even suit you anymore.”
At that moment, his voice—enough to make her heart pound wildly just hearing it—drifted out through the doorway.
